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Thursday, March 23, 2006

Pay Per Click Affiliate Programs

Author: Timothy Eisden

Millions are paying to get a ride on the Information SuperHighway everyday. Now, it is widely known that the Internet isan accessible resource of many income-generating activities.Whether you belong to a private sales company or you are justinterested in internet marketing, PPC affiliate programs can bea powerful venue to make money from the Internet. A partnershipwith an affiliate merchant is a win-win situation for themerchant and the affiliate: sales are soaring because ofexposure and traffic while the affiliate is earning good cash.

To make things much simpler: the affiliate merchant provides astrip of advertisement and pays you when someone clicks on thead's link. You can get a commission of $0.10 to $0.30 for everyclick, but it sometimes it can go higher depending on yourmerchant affiliate. Sometimes, merchants require a quota ($1.4for every 1000 clicks). Plus, you can get discounts from yourmerchant affiliates if you happen to like their products too.You can just kick back and relax while your website isgenerating cash. Sounds easy, doesn't it?

What is PCC Affiliate Program?

PPC means pay-per-click, wherein you get in partnership with anaffiliate company that literally pays you for every click. Thereare actually two types of PCC affiliate programs - those who paya commission based on the number of clicks and the other basedon the sales. The pay-per-click scheme is much more popular thanpay-per-lead because the affiliate gets paid by just clickingthe ad, regardless of whether the visitor buys from theaffiliate merchant or not. Plus the chances of a visitorpurchasing something from the affiliate merchant are not reallythat high.

In choosing an affiliate program, read the fine print carefully- some pay-per-click programs get the ratio of the number ofpeople who went to your site and the actual people who clickedon the ad. If you have a heavily targeted website, this can hurtyour earnings.

How do I start?

Of course, you need to have a website. Depending on your targetaudience, choose the best affiliate merchant that is mostrelated to your topic. For example, your website is aboutCarpentry then you can search for affiliate programs that selltools used in carpentry.

However, if you don't have a website, that's not a problem. Youcan put up a content site about absolutely anything under thesun like 'Taking Care of Dogs' or 'Decorating your own Home.'But wait, its not over yet. We are faced by a dilemma - on howto increase traffic! You first need to get internet surfers tosee your website, then the ad.

How do I increase my traffic?

First, design your website in such a way that it will attractinternet users. A user-friendly site is always recommended sothat the customers will know which one to click. Take intoconsideration the look and feel of the advertisement. If itdoesn't look professional, most likely, users will just ignoreit. Place the ad on a strategic location - one where users cansee it clearly. Visibility of the ad is always important.

Another way is to post a link to your website in forums, webcommunities, ezine articles or bulletin boards. However, thismethod requires a lot of effort - that defeats your purpose ofgetting easy money in the first place! The key is to dosomething once and forget about it. It's like putting yourbusiness on autopilot. To maintain you pay-per-click business,be sure to track down site activity, so you are updated on howmuch money you are making.

Can I make more money?

If you think you can go to the next level, you can try atwo-tier affiliate program. This gives you the power to recruitaffiliates. Other than the money you get from your website'sclicks, you will also get a percentage of what your affiliategenerates. Some companies give 30% to a soaring 50% commissionon all referral sales.

Remember, you should be able to manage and monitor youraffiliate program. If you can recruit more affiliates, then youcan get paid more without even moving a finger! Chooseaffiliates that can most likely attract more internet users andbring more traffic. You just have to know the right people.